Your Stories

Ex Fireman does it twice

A couple of years after leaving school I joined the London Fire Brigade and served as an active fireman in South London. I loved the job and felt I was made for it, then in 1985 I had an accident whilst on duty when a load of Breathing apparatus fell on me, I injured my lower back quite badly and spent the next year or so in a military hospital having this that and the other done to me. I spent the next couple of years in a wheelchair or walking with the aid of a stick but the old fighting spirit was still in me and I'm sure I started riding again just because I was told I'd never be able to. 

They retired me from the service in 87 but I was determined to get back to a normal life ASAP, so in 1989 I took a little job inputting data on a computer at a local furniture manufacturers. It wasn't long before I was able to walk fairly normally unaided; once this happened the old ambitious bit kicked in and to cut a very long story short I changed jobs a few times, moved up the corporate ladder and in 1997 found myself working as a senior computer manager for a large multinational pharmaceutical company. I was riding a 900 Honda , had remarried (for the 3rd time) and life was looking great. Then it happened; it was a warm Sunday in March 97 we had just finished lunch, and I was taking my plate to the kitchen as we had eaten in the garden. Now we had lived in that house for about a year and I knew my way around, so why did I walk straight into a wall that had always been in the same place? 

The following morning I awoke to find the whole right hand side of my body paralysed, I went straight to the doctors who fast tracked me into the local hospital they examined me did loads of tests then I had an MRI scan. A few weeks later I was told I had multiple sclerosis. Can you imagine after having one career finished by an accident and then the next career toppled by an illness. The feeling and movement returned to my right side but about every 6 months or so I have another attack of differing severity from a small amount of numbness to total incapacity. I got rid of the 900 a few years ago and started riding large scooters but was never really happy on them and then one day I walked into a local bike shop and a friend of mine who was their mechanic suggested I sit on a Dragstar that was in for servicing. I sat on it and, as it has such a low seat, immediately felt comfortable on it. Within a week I had bought one and became a born again rider on a real motorbike. Over the last couple of years my balance has become affected and I decided this would be my last year on 2 wheels, but my mates suggested I get the bike triked so I've got all the bits together and now I'm just trying to find someone to stick it all together for me - which is where NABD comes in, after watching a documentary on TV about them I have contacted them in the hope of getting a grant towards having the jigsaw put together again. 

For anyone reading this in a similar situation I can only say life is what you make of it and take each day as it comes and I've found the biking fraternity to be the most flexible bunch of people who won't let you feel sorry for yourself, but will help you all they can

Thanks 

Tony